Juris Simanovičs, known in the Latvian “underground” circles (and not only in them), presented his new solo album, released in vinyl record and cassette formats, in a very significant place and on an even more significant date – February 14, that is, St. On Valentine’s Day, in the Anglican Church. The concert was completely sold out and ended with a standing ovation – the audience even sat in the aisles between the rows of pews in the church, only no one had climbed into the pulpit… It must be admitted that “live” and with a full lineup, the album sounds quite different, but that does not mean that it cannot be appreciated in the recording as well.
“Love Metastases” is Simanović’s third solo album, released eight years after the previous one (“How to come to terms with your insignificance”) and 11 years after the first one (“Riperography”). The album was recorded during the long period of the pandemic, at home, mostly in the musician’s own apartment. With the exception of the title song (a group called “Aleponijas Enžeļi” took part in its recording), the recording was made by Juris alone. “Several themes run through the album. Without mentioning the stories about love and death that are always present in Jura’s work, one of the peaks of the album is the song “Love strategies”. It talks about the couple’s relationship, which has been going on for some time and has entered the phase when romance is no longer the only mood in them,” informs the musician’s team. In total, the album includes 13 songs.
A bit of history, then it should be recalled that Juris Simanovičs played in such groups as “Bärnības militija”, “Enu Kaleidoscopes”, “Mazie Smirdīgie Cociņi”, “Nepilngadīga Anna”, “Telekoma”, “Mūc”, “DZ”, etc. of them, “Bernības Militija” is quite justifiably considered one of the leading Latvian indie bands of its generation.
PAR. “”Love Metastases” is a thoughtful and personal story about love and its consequences, illuminated with deep emotion and powerful musical performance” – this is how the album is announced, and there is nothing in this message that is neither exaggerated nor exaggerated. As in, “Juris Simanović is known for his powerful and authentic vocal performance, and this album is another proof of that.” Everything is correct, in this area he can even match Edgar Šubrovskis. This time, this “strong and authentic voice performance” is very well supported in several songs by Līga A. Neilande (also plays in the group “Ivars Bez F”), both of them creating an interesting and attention-grabbing vocal tandem.
A great value in Jura Simanović’s songs are, of course, the lyrics. “Please lend me one light, I’ll give you four in the summer” (the song “Light addicts”), “I bow my head in front of you – to see what shoes you wear” and “Wish me a long and unhappy life” (“Dull beauty” ), “I was waiting for you or death” (that’s the name of the song) etc. – isn’t it beautiful?! In terms of music, the already mentioned “Dull beauty” with its elegant guitar sound caught my ears especially, immediately and “on the spot” – it could resemble even Simanović’s great hit “DJ Grēks” from the previous album. Equally noteworthy are the guitar-driven “Strike=touch” (it sounded especially great at the concert) and “I was waiting for you or death”, as well as the unique “Anti-entropy”, but from the point of view of the text, it is recommended to listen to the humorous “Strategies of Love”. Of course, the anthemic title song with the chorus of “Aleponia” at the end of the album is also a great success, only it’s better to listen to it… for Christmas.
AGAINST. Simanovič’s previous album “How to come to terms with your insignificance” somehow fascinated me more – this is not a minus of this album, it is simply a subjective conclusion.
